Comparing conveyancing quotes in Queensland: what to ask

The professional fee

This is what the law practice charges for doing the work: reviewing the contract, giving you advice, corresponding with the other side, calculating adjustments and attending settlement. It is the figure you should insist on being fixed and in writing before you engage anyone.

At Coastside Law our conveyancing fee for a sale is $990 including GST. For a purchase it is $1,499 including GST, so you know the figure before you commit — no hourly billing and no surprises at settlement.

Disbursements — the costs paid on your behalf

Disbursements are not profit for the law practice; they are amounts paid out to others. Typical items in a Queensland residential transaction include:

• Title search and registered plan search
• Local council rates and water searches
• Body corporate searches and a disclosure statement, for units and townhouses
• State government searches such as land tax, transport and contaminated land where relevant
• Titles Office registration fees on the transfer and any new mortgage
• Bank or settlement platform fees for electronic settlement

Transfer duty (stamp duty)

Transfer duty is usually the single biggest cost for a buyer and is payable to the Queensland Revenue Office, not to your lawyer. The amount depends on the price and on whether you qualify for a concession — the home concession and the first home concession both reduce duty substantially, and eligibility depends on you moving in and on the property's value.

Sellers do not pay transfer duty. Get your duty position confirmed before you sign, because the concession rules turn on how you will use the property.

What a fair fixed fee should include

Ask whether the legal fee covers contract review, standard correspondence, ordering and reviewing searches, settlement adjustments and electronic settlement. The work of ordering a search and the provider's charge for that search are different costs. Do not assume a fixed professional fee includes every third-party charge.

• Contract review and advice before you sign, where possible
• Managing cooling-off, finance and building and pest dates
• Ordering and reviewing standard searches
• Adjusting rates, water and body corporate levies
• Attending electronic settlement and confirming the outcome

Questions to ask before accepting a quote

Send each firm the same contract or property details so the quotes cover the same job.

• Is GST included, and is the professional fee fixed in writing?
• Which searches are proposed for this property, and are their charges itemised?
• Are PEXA and registration fees included or charged separately?
• Does the quote cover the body corporate records review for a unit?
• Who gives legal advice if a contract problem arises?
• What work falls outside the quote, and will you approve its price first?

Frequently asked questions